| Day 6 Xian, Dunhuang ( B ) |
| After your morning tour in Xian, we will transfer to Xian airport for the flight to Dunhuang. Our tour guide will pick you up at Dunhuang airport and transfer you to the hotel. |
| Great Mosque | The Great Mosque is one of the largest and best-kept Islamic mosques in China, which was originally built in 742 AD during the Chinese Tang Dynasty(618-907). It combined Islamic culture with Chinese traditional architecture seamlessly and became most featured and renowned mosques in China. | | Ancient City Wall | It is the most well-preserved ancient military defensive systems in the world. It is composed of the moat, hanging bridges, battlements, watchtowers, tunnels and parapet. Today, the roadway is a promenade enjoyed by strolling tourist. Cycling on the wall with families is a great thing! | | Dunhuang | In history, Dunhuang was an important town on the ancient Silk Road. Its greatest significance lies in its unique grottoes, located among a wilderness of yellow sands. Researchers say there are 735 grottoes in all, with the Mogao Grottoes providing a representative example. These caves were cut int…… |
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| [ Optional ] Dunhuang Shopping: Shopping in Dunhuang, you can not only buy adoring special products and handicraft products, but also hear background stories and beautiful legends of traditional culture. |
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| Day 7 Dunhuang ( B,L ) |
| Visit the world famous Mogao Grottoes today. later in the afternoon you will be transferred to Dunhuang Railway Station (138km, 2.5 hours driving) to take an overnight soft sleeper train to Turpan. Train No.: k1351 (depart Dunhuang at 00h57, arrive Turpan at 09h40 next day), stay overnight on the train. |
| Crescent Moon Spring & Mingsha Mountain | Crescent Moon Spring is 6km south of Dunhuang in the Singing Sands Mountains and is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The Spring's name derives from the crescent moon shape the small pool of spring water has taken between two large sand dunes. Although the area is very dry, the pool doesn't dr…… | | Thousands Buddha Cave | The thousands Buddha Caves used to be an important center for Buddhist worship. The Xizhou Huigu government of Gaochang Kindom built the royal temple of the King of Huigu that is sited here. | | Mogao Grottoes | The Mogao Grottoes (Mogao Ku) also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, constitute one of the three major Buddhist grotto sites in China. It is one of three noted grottoes in China and also the largest, best preserved and richest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. |
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| [ Optional ] Dunhuang Museum: The Dunhuang Meseum is built on the former residence of Taoist Wang Yuanlu, who found the Cave by chance about 100 years ago. It display the cultural relics found in the world-famous "Sutras Cave" of Mogao Grotto. |
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| Day 8 Turpan ( B,L ) |
| Upon arrival at Turpan railway station at 09h40, pickup by our English speaking tour guide and drive 1 hour (47km) to hotel in Turpan, you will have breakfast in the hotel. In summer time, rooms are ready after 12h00. After breakfast, we will start our tours in Turpan. |
| Emin Minaret | It is designed in a simple Afghani style and was built in 1777 AD by a local ruler in order to show the impressive memories of his father's contribution to Qing government. | | Gaochang Ancient Ruins | It was the capital of Uighurs when they moved into the Xinjiang Region from Mongolia in the 9th century. Gaocheng Ancient City became a major staging post on the silk road as a Buddhist center and printing center during the Tang Dynasty. | | Astana Graves | To the northwest of the Gaochang Ruins lies the Astana Graves (Asitana Gumuqun), where the dead of Gaochang were buried. Astana means "capital" in Uygur and Karakhoja is the name of a legendary hero of the ancient Uygur Kingdom who removed the evils from the people by killing a vicious dragon. | | Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves | Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves is situated at the north bank of Muzat River in Turpan, a collection of retreats once inhabited by Buddhist monks, as well as the imperial monasteries for local emperor during the Gaochang Kingdom and Tang Dynasty. |
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| [ Optional ] Turpan-style food: Turpan-style food is tea with home-baked bread, Pamirdin, kebab, and fruit. Pamirdin is a type of pie, contains lamb, carrots and onion. kebab is served wrapped in bread with a salad and a dressing, it includes grilled, roasted, and stewed dishes of large or small cuts of meat, The traditional meat for kebab is lamb. |
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| Day 9 Turpan, Urumqi ( B,L ) |
| Drive drive 90 minutes to Urumqi. Visit Karez well on the way. The driving distance is 200 KM. You may enjoy the view of Ghobi Dessort on the way. In Urumqi, visit Xinjiang Museum and Red Hill. |
| Karez well | These underground channels rate as one of ancient China's greatest public works projects as the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The city of Turpan owes its existence to these vital wells and channels, some of which were constructed over 2000 years ago. | | Xinjiang Museum | As an important place of Xinjiang Region, you can get a whole view of different folklore and customs about 12 ethnic minorities in the area, in the other hand, more than 10,000 culture relics displayed inside exclude some 11 natural corpses that preserved very well. | | Red Hill | The Red Hill stands magnificently at the center of Urumqi City. At sunrise and sunset, the hill looks red for it reflects the red light from the sun, so it was named Red Hill. The views from the top of the mountain of the surrounding countryside and breathtaking mountains. |
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| [ Optional ] Southern Mountain Pastureland: It is a vast expanse of grazing land set in a valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The land is inhabited by Kazak herdsmen who graze sheep, cattle and horses here during the summer months. |
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| Day 10 Urumqi, Kashgar ( B,L ) |
| We'll transfer by plane to proceed to the next stop - Kashgar after our touring in Heavenly Lake. |
| Heavenly Lake | Driving about 2 Hours to the Heavenly Lake, This pristine lake is situated at a refreshing height of 1,980m and is surrounded by jagged snow-covered peaks, forests of pine trees and green meadows. The lake surface of Tianchi Lake is over 1900 m above sea level. Buddhists visit this spot to praise th…… | | Kashi | Kashgar (or Kashi) is situated in the southwest of Xinjiang. From the west, this is the first point of arrival on land routes from Pakistan and Kirgyzistan. Long a vital stop on the Silk Road, this remote city some 4000 km from Beijing, used to take up to six months to reach from the capital. |
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| [ Optional ] Old town of Kashgar: The Old Town surrounds the center of Kashgar, with the Id Kah Mosque rising at its center. Use the north-south thoroughfare of Jiefang Lu to orient yourself and then head east or west into the thick of things. |
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